'My heart fell' says New Zealand surgeon who treated girl, 4

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand – Vascular surgeon Adib Khanafer says he was in shock March 15 when he walked into the operating theater and saw a 4-year-old girl on the table who had suffered gunshot wounds so severe she was a cardiac arrest for 30 minutes before stabilizing

Khanafer was Muslim and knew some of the 50 people killed in last week's attacks on two Christchurch mosques. He says he usually fixes veins and arteries on adults in controlled environments.

He operated successfully, although the girl remains a critical condition, and has since been transferred to a children's hospital in Auckland.

He says the attacks are severely affected his family. He knew a colleague and a patient who was killed, and his wife knew many more people at the Al Noor mosque who died.